Recently, Weinstein Gallery commissioned Mr. Gaugy to complete the editions of six images seen here. The edition sizes are 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Exclusively, Weinstein Gallery offers these works and the entire editions. All of the works are 30" x 24" and were created in 2000.

Jean-Claude Gaugy is a classically trained sculptor, rather than a painter. He has been evolving a signature medium of paintings carved into wood for over thirty years. Simultaneously, he has also been exploring a variety of hand- printmaking techniques using wood plates he hand-carves and non- mechanized presses he builds. The challenge of achieving sculptural textures and dimensions on essentially two-dimensional surfaces has been his lifelong passion.

In 1996, Hexton Gallery in New York City gave Gaugy a one-man show exclusively featuring his printmaking, because they felt it had been often unfairly overshadowed by his better-known signature medium of paintings carved into wood.

By 1997, Gaugy had come to use and love brilliant colors in his carved paintings and had become dissatisfied with the softness of colors in his multiples. So he spent two years evolving a new printmaking medium, which he simply calls, "Textured Original Multiples".

He begins by carving his image into a piece of wood in deep relief. This will be the printing plate. Then he takes a piece of Arches Cover (a heavy printmaking 100% rag paper), and coats it with a material he developed, which has a degree of thickness and also changes the pigment absorption of the paper. He then (very carefully) places the material covered paper and the plate together in a press he built that "holds", rather than rolls like a traditional press. (Think flower press). As the material dries, it takes the relief imprint of the plate. The technically really interesting part begins here - because he has figured out how to remove the still-wet paper from the plate with only minimal disruption to the image, which he can easily correct with a stylus. This enables him to then paint each piece of paper in a wet-on-wet process (using acrylic paints). From this comes the loose flow of colors into each other. The work is then allowed to dry fully and finally it is varnished on both sides, so it does not require glass when framed.

First, it will be clear that no two pieces from an edition will be alike, except in the basic lines of the image. It would be impossible for Gaugy to paint the pieces alike due to the painting techniques he uses. Furthermore, he intentionally uses different color palettes with each piece, being interested and challenged by the possible variations.

Secondly, he frequently never makes full editions from a plate, often stopping with only one piece, numbered #1AP (artist's proof). We never know which images he will choose to play with, and which will be the only one. If he does do an edition of a particular image, it is limited to 10 pieces (all different) plus two artist's proofs (which he frequently keeps). When an edition is complete, the plate is destroyed completely, not just defaced, or marked. No other editions of any kind are run on any other papers, canvas or other supports.